Around the Regions

St. John's

Celebrating 5 Years: A Time to Reflect on the Past and Look Toward the Future

The St. John's Heart Health Coalition was officially formed in October, 1995. As described by Linda Carter, Chair of the Coalition, 'there was lots of interest, ideas and enthusiasm in the room that day'. The Coalition identified focus areas which included: financial resources; partnerships; programs; promotion tools; education and awareness; and, human resources.

With the development of their Mission Statement, the St. John's Heart Health Coalition were well on their way towards many successful initiatives! When the Coalition came together during the Winter of 1996 to set up a work (able) plan, the members quickly realized they had set their sights a little too high! First they had to figure out just who they were and what they were about before jumping into many of the activities which had been identified.

The Coalition Terms of Reference were then set along with some methods of operation for the newly formed group. Goals and objectives were also established and then it was on to the activities.

The St. John's Heart Health Coalition have initiated many activities over the years. The following are just a few highlights:

1996:	Heart Health Information Sessions were conducted for various groups of people in the Region to increase awareness of heart health and the St. John's Heart Health Coalition.
1997:	The Ticker Tom Heart Health Program was created to promote heart health messages to children in summer parks and recreation programs; the Cable TV series 'Heart Health for Life' was also developed to promote heart health messages to a larger audience.
1998:	A Steering Committee was established for the Coalition to set direction and oversee ongoing activities.
1999:	A Smoke-Free Malls Survey was conducted which resulted in the shopping centres in the St. John's Region going smoke-free.
2000:	The Heart Health Booklet and Trivia Contest were developed and distributed to various workplaces throughout the Region.

The St. John's Heart Health Coalition is pleased with their accomplishments. In reflecting on their history as a Coalition, they recognize there have been many learnings along the way. The Coalition members have quickly learned that working together has great benefits. The Coalition provides a wonderful opportunity for people representing a variety of organizations, agencies and community groups to come together:

to contribute and share information and resources
to work together on different initiatives
to promote each other's messages
to build on each other's strengths, and
to take away valuable information which benefits each person in their work.

Coalition Chair, Linda Carter emphasizes that 'coordination and communication have been key in keeping everyone up to date and keeping members involved in the Coalition'.

As the Year 2001 approaches, the St. John's Heart Health Coalition recognizes that the Heart Health messages which they promote are the same health and lifestyle messages that many other groups are trying to address (i.e. the Canadian Diabetes Strategy, the 10% Reduction in Physical Inactivity Strategy); and, as the Coalition has learned, working together has great benefits. As Linda Carter states, 'the new year will be a time to review the mission of the Coalition, broaden goals, and begin working with new groups of people'.

Congratulations to Linda Carter and all the members, past and present, of the Heart Health Coalition - St. John's Region on their fifth anniversary. The Coalition members look forward to continuing to work together throughout the coming years!